15. Let it Go
Thank you Light, LogosLogic, and Magus for your support ^^
"I'M GETTING TIRED OF FALLLLLIIIIIIIIINNNGGG!" Shards of ice fell along with Link as he descended into the darkness from the tundra above. He grit his teeth feeling the sting as his skin hit the bits of ice while he looked around trying to figure something out but nothing was coming to him. On instinct he reached for the blade on his hip and pulled it free before driving it into the ice wall beside him. For a short moment his momentum zeroed out but the sudden stop of his body hitting the wall forced him to bounce off while the jerk made him lose grip on his blade.
"DAMMIT! COME ON!" Link yelled feeling pain shoot through his arm before reaching into his bag feeling Gale, his bomb bag, the igniter, a few bottles, and the spider shot. He would use the spider shot if he thought it would be able to catch the ice but he doubted it. Then an idea came to him and he withdrew one of the dragon bombs and the igniter before striking the wick and throwing it as hard as he could into the darkness. As the flickering wick disappeared Link reached back into his bag for Gale and channeled his magic into it creating a bright green glow around it before he threw it down into the darkness as well trusting Gale.
It took a few moments but the bomb finally exploded creating a bright blue then orange light, Link smirked a bit as he heard the wind rush past him from the sudden updraft and that force increased as Gale's wind burst out from the boomerang and focused into the shape of a funnel around the flame creating a flaming tornado and serving as an air tunnel to slow Link's descent until he fell out of the chasm into a large room. By now the flames had died out and Link was lowered gently by the tornado born from the wind spirit to his feet.
"Well... That wasn't so ba-" Link began to say as a sharp whoosh passed by his face and he felt warmth drip down his cheek. After touching it he saw red and as he looked at the frozen floor to see his damaged blade stuck in the ground. A low grumble passed his lips as he bent down to pull it out and place it back in his sheathe before wiping the blood from the scratch on his face. It was then that Link noticed he could, well, see; the area he now stood in was a massive cavernous void in the ice though it glowed a soft blue making it possible to see. Around Link's feet were wet spots, melted ice, and chunks of ice from above although part of the destruction was his doing. From where he stood three paths lead into the ice around him and he had no clue which way to go or if there even was a right way.
"I guess it can't be helped..." The Hylian sighed while rubbing his arms grateful for the fur keeping him warm. After looking around at each cave he shrugged and begin to move towards the one closest to him. If Link had any idea how he had fallen he could have judged which way would have lead in the direction he had been going to begin with but he didn't have the luxury between the fall itself, his failed attempt to stop his fall, and his tornado to save him from the fall. As Link stepped through the dark cave he found a source of pale light at the other end and followed it before emerging into a cavern of similar size to the last, however this time small the floor was about a foot below where Link stood and was so smooth it reflected the ceiling, however that wasn't the most pressing thing, on the floor were a number of icicle-like objects that were gliding along the surface ever so slowly and every few seconds a red eye looked up at him from within the crowd of ice spikes. Finally on the other side of the room was a door fashioned from ice in a swirling design.
"What the hell are these things?..." Link silently asked while he leaned over the edge to tap one with his boot although the moment he made contact it glowed white and the others immediately scattered away from it. From the rapid shaking Link anticipated it was about to explode and quickly dived away from the spike just before it blew up sending a wave of cold overhead. A moment later after Link was sure the action had passed he turned over to hear cracking and falling, a tug of his cloak revealed that a layer of ice had been formed over it from the blast though now it was little more than sheet ice.
"That's gonna be a problem." Link mused looking at the little spike that blinked up at him before continuing to idly float along the ice. With the amount of cold able to instantly generate ice he figured it would counter his bombs and wind may just set them all off at once. A deep grumble ran through Link's throat feeling frustrated as his eyes moved over the smooth room that was lit by a... chandelier. The massive construct of ice hung from the ceiling with soft purple flames casting light around the room. A light smile tugged at Link's lips as he reached into his bag getting the Spider-Shot and slipping it onto his arm and taking aim.
"Alright... I need for you to catch the chandelier..." Link whispered as he lined up the shot, he didn't think it was listening but a low clicking sound made him wonder if he was wrong. Once he had the shot he took it sending the black spider shaped stinger just over the chandelier so that the line arced over it before falling to the chandelier where the spider skittered around the construct securing the green line of silk that connected it back to the mechanism.
"Heh alright." The blonde grinned before tugging it lightly to make sure it was secure causing a slight sway but the chandelier was still secure enough. With a deep breath Link ran and jumped off the edge swinging over the icicles until he reached just past the half-way point, under the chandelier where his foot caught one of the creatures and just like before it started to rapidly shake and glow before detonating hitting Link in the back with the cold wave sending him flying to the other side of the room to slam through the door sending a shower of ice shards around him.
"My my, such an entrance... It may even give me a run for my money." A high-pitched male voice reached Link's ears causing him to jerk up into a crouch and reach for his shield, however he didn't have one while the Spider-Shot rapidly retracted to its place.
"Crap..." Link cursed as his hand moved to his hip instead and drew the blade in a reverse grip. Link's gaze rose to see a male laying across a throne, clad in flowing robes of blue and green while a horned helmet sat atop his head. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"You're about 500 leagues below the surface young man, and if you don't know who I am you aren't worthy to learn my name." The man spoke with a grin as he stood up before Link and with a wave of his hand the doorway behind him vanished accompanied by the sharp sliding sound of ice on ice. "You did well to reach me, I'll give you that. I designed my trial to be impassable without cheating."
"What trial?" Link questioned which made the man lose his grin looking exasperated.
"The room you just came through, really?" The horned man asked before shaking his head, making the large golden horns wave even more catching Link's attention before the man snapped his fingers drawing Link's gaze back to him. "If you had touched the floor the whole room would've gone up and turned you into a popsicle."
"...You know that helmet is very distracting right?" Link silently asked ignoring what the man had said in earnest which drew another blank stare before he waved his hand and the helmet disappeared revealing black combed back hair down to his shoulders.
"Better?" The man shot at Link who simply nodded not letting the man maintain his grandiose facade. "Oh you're gonna be exhausting, I can tell."
"I aim to please, Mr?..." Link replied while leaving the tone out trying to get the man's named.
"Oh it's Lo- wait a minute... You cheeky brat... I like you." The man grinned while shaking his head before the room became featureless like a large glass cage, the walls becoming reflective facets that showed Link in each one. In that same moment the man disappeared only to reappear all around him, in each mirror. "Now you can see my tricks boy."
"Smoke and Mirrors aren't my thing, I;ve already been in a volcano this week." Link snapped back looking around at the multiple images of the man who wore a grin before the images seemed to bend in the man stepped out from the mirrors, however there was a copy of him for each facet of the wall and they all began to walk towards the hunter. "Shit..."
"Oh? You've lost that bravado now eh? What a shame, I was hoping it would 'stick' around a bit longer." The man chuckled as he stopped and stood roughly ten feet away before conjuring a wicked wavy looking dagger in a falling puff of black and blue smoke. With a swift jerk of their wrists the daggers flew, half directly above him and half at his gut. He wouldn't be able to dodge something like thi-.
In a light pulse of wind Link was moved from where he was in the center of the room to outside of the ring of men that shimmered away while the blades had already disappeared like illusions leaving the one man with a confused look that swiftly changed to amusement. "So then, you have the gift as well. I haven't had a match with a fellow magician since Hel froze over."
~Link, throw me like on the tundra...~ Gale's voice brushed by Link's ear as he held the broken blade in a reverse grip while using the other hand to reach into his bag to pull out the boomerang. A quizzical look passed over the man's face while Link drew his arm back and threw the wind-empowered weapon creating a shell of wind around him.
"Really? A barrier? A WIND barrier at that, oh I think you've underestimated me boy." The man reacted vehemently and with an almost incomprehensibly fast swing of his arm launched another ice blade. However while it was aimed directly between his eyes it sang through the air barely grazing Link's right cheek creating an X-shaped cut when combined with the cut from when his blade fell earlier. A faint twitch moved through Link's brow realizing he had been cut again, however he was grateful for Gale's help. The man's gaze narrowed however seeing that his blade had missed and formed two before rushing toward Link head on.
~Behind you, low right.~" Gale whispered and despite Link's instincts shifted around with his blade just in time to hear a solid clink and see the man looking him dead in the eye while his frozen blade held against Link's. With a frustrated growl the man's blade faded to smoke while Link's blade passed through.
~On your right, go high.~" The wind blew around Link while he listened raising up from his position in time to catch the man coming down with his blade poised to strike down at the blonde. However his reaction allowed Link to catch the frozen weapon and direct to the side into the ground shattering it.
"Oh you're good, you can sense me somehow, maybe another sight, a spirit?" The man questioned before shaking his head and the room grew colder, cold flowing off the man as his skin turned blue and frost started to span across Link's black blade. "You've been interesting that's for sure but I have short tolerance for fights I can't win easily so I do so hope you'll forgive my little tantrum."
"Yeah well, I've dealt with worse tantrums than yours." Link shot back while grabbing the boomerang from the air and returning it to his bag. He could feel a slight lag from using magic but now he didn't have a choice or else he'd become a statue frozen in this place forever, and that wasn't going to happen. Link quickly closed his eyes and inward, drawing up the rage he had felt in his life, his brother kicking him out, nearly losing Volga, Zelda being a general bitch. As Link's eyes snapped open he lunged forward darting toward the man while ice started to grow out of the ground in chunks, as he reached the man he slammed his shoulder into him but the man just laughed.
"After all that you tackle me? Oh how you remind me of my dull, uncreative brother." The man chuckled as Link felt the blood from the cut on his cheek freeze and the pain acted as his trigger, his spark. With a piercing roar Link summoned his flames again forming a pillar of fire searing through the ice like wind across sand as the man let out an ear splitting scream and his body dissolved.
"...How's that for uncreative?" Link coughed seeing slight burn marks across his gloves and cape.
"Heh proficient enough..." The voice spoke again though it echoed around Link, with blade in hand he quickly turned ready to keep fighting however the man he saw lacked the cold quality it had, even though he was glowing blue and see-through. "You've down well, a good trick deserves another."
"What's going on? What do you mean?" Link breathed deeply not used to using fire but still stood his ground against the... glowing blue floating man... okay. However without an answer the ice froze around his feet anchoring him in place for a moment, although they shattered just as quickly before Link could do anything more than see the ice. With the fragments glittering in the air Link could see shining deep blue bands wrapped around his boots like leather as they gleamed like metal. "What are these?"
"Heh you ask a lot of questions, that's good, These are something special I think you'd be partial to the Glacier Boots." The man answered with a light grin before closing his eyes. Even without an explanation Link could feel the could around him edge away, not that it wasn't still cold, more like the cold never bothered him anyway. "Thank you for coming here, I wish you luck on your quest."
"Wait you never gave me your name." Link spoke out while still glancing back and forth with the spirit and the boots. The man simply grinned and vanished like snow while the path out was revealed once more, an edge of irritation prodded Link as he put away his blade and began to make his way out of the room. Although as he stepped through the door a loud ominous crack burst behind him.
"What now?" As Link turned to look at the room the whole thing looked like a cracked mirror before pieces started to fall away revealing a darkness.
"Shit..." The blonde gulped before turning on his heal and bolting across the frozen floor now devoid of icicle creatures. The cracks followed after the Hylian as he pushed his body hard praying with every second that he wouldn't lose traction and slip. His jaw clenched feeling his lungs burn as the cracks edged around his vision moving further than he was and as he saw the chamber he had first arrived in he pushed off the ground as hard as he could just as chunks of ice fell around him. Luckily he tumbled through the entrance just in time as the ice fell with a crash sealing off the tunnel.
"This is ridiculous... I'm guessing there's three more of you jerks too?!" Link yelled at the other caves before grumbling under his breath and raising to his feet checking himself for any injuries. After the self-examination he shrugged and went to the next cave in a clockwise motion. The blonde shook his head while he ventured into another room, this time it was a rather long room angled upwards with a shining frozen inclined floor.
"Somehow, I feel this isn't going to be as easy as I'm hoping." Link mused while moving over to the incline judging the angle to be at roughly 45* and with it being ice he knew he wouldn't be able to climb it without some kind of tool. A sigh slipped from his lips as he shrugged and leaned into the slope with his hands testing the surface and found he couldn't get a grip with his hands however as he raised his leg to try and brace himself he found his foot holding against the ice.
"Huh?" Link looked beneath his body to see that the bands around his boots were glowing and the foot he had raised now had an ice step under it anchoring him to the ice. After a moment of blinking Link had come to the conclusion he had attained Ice Magic, at some point, either way it meant he now had a way to climb the incline.
"Alright gotta keep moving..." ink spoke under his breath and rose his other leg pressing it against the ice and felt the anchor almost instantly. While focusing on using his hands for balance Link continued to climb the incline getting used to the unusual method while he climbed further and further until he was finally able to pull himself onto the top of the slide. As he sat for a moment and looked down the incline he saw the steps slowly shatter and fade into snowflakes long after Link had used them.
"It's got some lasting power, that's good." Link said aloud before climbing to his feet and looking on towards a door designed with a large mallet of some sort, maybe a hammer. With a shrug Link walked forward moving one hand to his blade and the other to the door pushing it open. As he entered the room reminded him of a massive chamber with a small set of stairs that lead him up onto some kind of platform, easily big enough to be some kind of arena.
"This is bigger than last time..." The Hylian mused while looking around until a cool wind blew across the stoic arena and bursts of snow came from all around him. Bony looking arms shot out of the ground and were now trying to pull their owners out as well, however the more Link saw of them he could see they were comprised of ice. As they reached their half way point Link, could see their skulls had horns and they almost seemed to be crudely sculpted.
"Begone foul pests!" A voice thundered through the room and bolts of lightning rained down around the arena eradicating the would-be ice skeletons forcing Link to shield his eyes from the bright flashes shielding his eyes at the same time. As Link blinked away the faint spots in his vision he saw a man standing before him, clad in only hide shorts leaving most of his muscular form bare. The man looked like he could tear a shirt with a twitch and make women swoon at the faintest glimpse, long golden blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. If anything Link imagined that he looked like some combination of Ganondorf and himself. "Good day friend! I apologize for the Jotuns, pesky things always show up at the worst of times."
"It's fine, what are y-yo-tins?" Link asked not quiet understanding but the man laughed and gestures to the black marks on the ice.
"These were, perhaps you may know them as ice-lings? The ones here are far smaller than I'm used to combating, its a shame really. However, now I have you to battle with it!" The man exclaimed mirthfully and while Link understood what he had said the only thing that really clicked was that he wanted to fight.
"Hold on who even are you? Or the other guy with the horned helmet?" Link backed up a bit eyeing the large man confused with the current course of events, why did everyone so far want to fight him?
"Oh you battled my brother, haha there will be time for names after we battle! Have at thee!" The man yelled before holding his hand out and a hammer, like the one depicted on the door formed from the ice and crackled with static. Link stared at the huge man with the hammer and slowly blinked while his mind ran a mile a minute.
"Fuck that..." Link muttered before ducking and pushing off running tot he side to create some distance between himself and the brute. If anything he hoped if he could make some room he'd have a better chance to see and learn how the man fought. However that thought quickly fled his mind as the man's hammer almost replaced the space in his head, upon hearing the whooshing of the hammer Link dropped into a roll narrowly missing the hammer as it whizzed past overhead.
"You're quite the speedy one friend, I'm glad to see you'll be using other methods of battle besides coming at me head on, heh it's never worked before." The man grinned as the hammer flew back to his hand before leaping after Link with enough force to carry him a few yards in a single step. As he landed Link felt the floor rumble slightly causing him to misstep and lose enough of his momentum for the berserker to catch up and lift his hammer above his head. "Oh, a poor step can lead you to your knees friend!"
"Shit, move!" Link growled as he scrambled to get his feet under him and push off to avoid the blow. When the heavy whoosh of the hammer began to fall Link finally pushed off but the speed at which he shot away from the crashing impact of the hammer shocked him accompanied by a soft sound like glass being cut. A moment later he looked down to see his feet gliding along the ice while his state of shock kept him balanced enough to stop him from falling on his face. Once he came to a stop he raised his foot and tilted his head seeing a blade of ice sticking out from the bottom. With a shrug he put his foot back down judging that the boots were reacting to what he needed at a time and this fixed his issue with speed, now he just had to hope he didn't fall on his face.
"Hmph, my brother's trickery aids you, I suppose I did want a different battle." The man huffed like a child about to throw a tantrum but came to a calm state after breathing in deeply. Once his eyes opened again he twisted the handle of the hammer twirling it easily with a grin before rushing at Link once again however Link now had some semblance of how to avoid him. As well as an idea of how to fight him.
"Come get it tiny!" Link shot back at the huge man whose face seemed to twist into confusion then anger as Link dropped low with one hand braced against the floor while the other hand moved to his pouch. The moment before the man reached him Link pushed off like an arrow and slide along the ice through the large gap between his legs and shifting his body to come to a stop while facing the man's back.
"How dare you accuse me of diminutive stature! I am twice your size!" The man yelled a mix of confusion and anger painted over his features while Link simply smiled and pointed at the floor between his legs. As he looked down a blue toned bomb sat with a fuse that vanished from sight, the next moment was a sight filled with bright blue light as the dragonfire bomb blew engulfing the man in the searing flames. Granted a fair amount of the blast spread across the whole of the arena but there's no way he could withstand that. Right?
"Heh... Heheh... HAHAHAHA!" The slow creeping laughter made a shiver shoot through Link's spine as he watched the blue flames fade while the man stepped out coming closer to Link while blue sparks arced across the man's body. "Oh that blast, boy was that blast something. You're mush stronger than I grave you credit for considering your size. COME! We will fight until the end!"
"Fine... I guess if that's the song, I'll dance." Link relented while his eyes held a faint shimmer of gold. This time as the man lunged for him Link bolted under his arm and behind him before leaping and twisting his body to slash his blade across the man's shoulders and the back of his neck with as much force as he could but the initial few inches of the slashes only bore sparks while the rest of the attack slid into his flesh but it was like Link was swinging his arm through water. With the attack completed Link fell to the floor on the other side using the skates to direct his momentum and keep him low tot he ground. This time the man brought his hand back that held the hammer and with Link's already low position he moved in directly jumping to plant his foot onto the man's thigh driving the blade with his weight while stabbing directly down into his shoulder. Once the blade had pierced his flesh he used the momentum from climbing the beast of a man to launch himself over his shoulder and land behind.
"Oh, yes the sting of steel is such a great pleasure I've missed the cold bite!" The man proclaimed but he never stopped laughing in enjoyment while pale blue mist escaped the wounds Link had been delivering to his large body. The sight made Link glare faintly, since it wasn't blodd he was starting to think he wasn't getting anywhere.
"Is there any chance those cuts are doing anything? Hindering, fatal, anything?" Link complained looking at the man dead on as he let out another loud laugh.
"Well I do feel pain but it's simply the thrill of battle!" The man declared proudly as his grip tightened on his hammer leaving Link to sigh trying to think of another tactic. His gaze fell to the floor getting ready to move again but it was then he saw the melting pattern in the floor from the blast and the streaks it left, the melting pattern when he had used the bomb to save himself were deeper and went in a rotating pattern.
Now he had it.
"Hey big guy! Catch!" Link reached into his bag pulling another bomb while rubbing his thumb against the wick using magic and friction to ignite it before throwing it high into the air above the man who stood up watching the blue sphere as it rocketed towards the ceiling. Using the distraction Link bolted across the ice putting more distance between himself and the man before pulling out Gale once more.
"Twister, but bring it down..." Link whispered before launching the boomerang into the air as well before wind burst from it and started to orbit in a wide arc around the man who still watched the bomb and rose his free hand preparing to catch it. However, the bomb blew just before he could catch it and the twister roared to life with orange and blue flame focusing the hellstorm of flame purely on the man.
"Heh... Heheh... HAHAhaha..." The boisterous laugh started to grow once more making Link glare as the flames faded and Gale returned to his hand once more, however as it began to die down Link saw the man's body beginning to fade like the last figure he had fought but this time his hammer fell to the ground. With a harsh crack making Link jump. "You put up a fine battle friend..."
Link quietly stared on as the snowflakes faded away just as before leaving only the hammer that sat in a small cracked crater. Was this how this whole cave was going to be? Fighting spirits that he didn't know or recognize. A low sigh permeated the cool air as he moved over to the hammer lifting it while seeing a frost-like effect along his hand but it didn't seem to freeze him. He was surprised he could even move it let alone wield it like a typical hammer. Although as the sounds of cracks splintering began to fill the room Link groaned and pushed off the ice running for the door way while the chamber began to collapse like the one before it.
This is bullshit!" The Hylian yelled as he fell into a slide reaching the inclined that he had climbed up earlier but now it already had cracks spidering across it but Link didn't have any other choice. With hammer in hand he pushed forward and drop down the slide taking care to roll out of the way of falling ice both from above and below. Although just as he reached the last third of the slope a large chunk of ice fell through the entryway destroying the bottom of the incline.
"no, no, no, No, No, NO!" Link began to chant as he came closer and closer to falling into the blackness. With a last ditch effort he threw the hammer through the opening to the chamber to free his hand before placing both palms against the surface and bracing himself. At the last possible moment Link pushed off of the ice as hard as he could using his legs at the last second, however as he did he felt himself launched from the ruined ice cavern before he tumbled through the entry seeing a pillar of ice from where he had jumped from just before the roof collapsed sealing the cavern much like the other path had.
"Why does it seem I always end up in death traps..." Link heaved as he pulled himself up from the ground brushing off the clumps of snow and ice that had stuck to him from his death-defying slide. Although after brushing off some of it he noticed the bottom of his cloak had been torn a bit probably from catching on the ice during his escape.
"Dammit... Yetar did such a good job on this..." Link quietly lamented the pristine quality of the cloak before sighing and shaking his head. The cloak still served its purpose even if Link wasn't happy that it was damaged. However that much alone had given Link a bad attitude as he looked at the last cave and picked up the hammer before he made his way into the cavern. Before him stood a large room with two statues beside each other roughly in the center of the room with about ten feet between them. The Hylian tilted his head as he stepped along the frozen floor moving closer while he stayed on guard, considering the last two 'trials' both had a challenge Link was sure the statues had something to do with it. However as he moved closer nothing happened and as he reached both of them he could see extremely fine detail in them but they didn't react at all.
"I guess, this is a freebie?" Link quietly asked the statues carved to replicate some kind of dragon however they each had rows of orbs that Link could only assume were its eyes trailing up its horns while the statue was mostly a bust detailing spikes and scales along its face and neck. Link shrugged and tapped one with the hammer causing it to shatter and fall into a pile of ice at his feet. The Hylian stto wide-eyed and slowly looked down at the pile before swiftly turning and heading for the door opposite the entrance this time designed with a sword.
"Okay time for the last one..." Link breathed out before going through, like the two before it there was a short linear path until opening up into a much larger room. This time however it opened into a large empty pit with a high ceiling. Before link there was a frozen path of ice that lead out to a platform that didn't look like it was stable at all. Upon the platform Link could see a man kneeling behind a sword that had been planted into the ice. Link slowly stepped forward trepidation filling him worried about the ice but as his foot met the cold surface but as his foot touched it a pale blue light spread out and the bands around his boots glimmered slightly.
"I guess I couldn't reach this place without the boots." Link mused as he looked back up at the figure while walking closer. As he reached the edge of the platform he could make out the subtle details of the blade, slight knicks and a simple almost crude design, like the common swords back home. Although as Link reached a few feet away from the figure it shuddered before slowly raising to his feet. As he did Link saw a man in his prime like how he had imagined Sorin while he was a soldier. The man stood tall with a mane of pure white hair, however his closed eyes hid their color from Link, like the last person Link fought he was shirtless but thankfully his lower half was clothed with black trousers that left his bare feet easy movement. However the most striking thing that Link noticed was the wicked scar at the man's right shoulder, or more accurately the scar where his right arm was missing.
"Damn, that looks painful..." Link quietly spoke looking at the wound which seemed to make the man react as his eyes slowly opened revealing pure white eyes that made Link instinctively reach for his blade.
"Fenr- No..." The man began to say before he shook his head and as his eyes fell on Link again he saw red eyes, not glowing or evil, just red. He shifted his body groaning faintly like his body was stiff but if Link could tell from his last two encounters he wouldn't bleed either. His smooth skin and muscle shifted ever so slightly in contrast to the last man's bulging musculature. After he finished working out the kinks the man set his eyes on Link and his grip tightened on his blade making the ice that had formed over it shatter off leaving the metal to gleam like it was newly forged. "Young man, why are you here?"
"I'm trying to find the way out." Link answered bluntly while the man tilted his head confused.
"You're trying to leave?" He asked slowly while his grip lessened on his sword.
"Yeah, I was trying to get across the tundra when I fell through the ice into the chamber back there." Link admitted while pointing behind him at the door.
"But you have my brothers' hammer and magic..." The man commented looking at Link's feet and then the hammer.
"They didn't ask, it kinda got hectic fast." Link said while rubbing the back of his head while the man in front of him sighed and shook his head.
"I'm sorry to say if you haven't found a way out yet you'll have to go deeper..." The man spoke while looking at the floor his brow furrowing before meeting Link's. "This place was sealed long ago to hold a spirit, however the seal pulled me and my brothers to become its guards."
"...So I have to get past you to get out." Link concluded while sighing his body visibly slumping as he looked at the man. "I take it you won't give me your name either?"
"What? Those curs didn't even give you their names? How uncivilized..." The man gawked at Link complete in shock before an annoyed anger seemed to play across his features. With a swift movement the man flipped his sword around to a reverse grip before bringing his arm across and bowing to Link. "I am Tyr, of Asgard, my brothers are Loki and Thor."
"I'm Link, I appreciate the effort but you don't have to bow." Link blushed faintly hating getting this kind of attention as he rubbed his neck.
"I do though, I must give the respect my brothers neglected to show you." Tyr declared before standing back up and shifting his stance slightly with his right foot back and his right foot forward angling his sword downwards. "I would request a duel to regain my honor."
"Really it's okay, besides my equipment is kind of... damaged." Link sighed and drew his blade showing severed length of steel to the warrior who stared at it in amazement.
"Oh the clash that caused this, I can feel the emotion from that battle from here." Tyr said as mirth filled his voice before raising his blade and tapping it to the makeshift tip of Link's blade where ice grew from the severed edge extending up and taking the form of his original blade. "That is an excellent weapon filled with your struggles, It'd be a great honor to face you and it."
"...Okay, I have to get further in this cave anyway." Link sighed with a faint smile. This Tyr was certainly an interesting character, a man he would've liked to befriend if his life ever returned to normal. Following Tyr's example Link took the same stance while setting the hammer to hang from his sheath. The two stared each other down while Tyr wore a smile and Link kept a focused look until the flats of their swords tapped each other.
"For Asgard!" Tyr declared moving first, as he stepped forward Link was caught off guard when he batted his sword aside to go into a spinning slash aimed at Link's chest. However this time Link moved with the momentum using the movement from Tyr batting his sword to flip it into a reverse grip and raise it up and block against his spin attack.
"Not quite." Link shot back before slamming his blade down making the guard catch Tyr's sword while Link threw his body forward headbutting the man and sending him staggering back.
"Heh very good, a move Thor would've used for sure." Tyr chuckled while Link flipped his blade back into a forward position before moving to the side circling Tyr while he did the same until he leaped at Link, in that moment the triforce gleamed on the back of his hand and a faint gold shine passed over his eyes. Link quickly dived and rolled as Tyr came down placing Link in a crouch behind him as his blade hit the ground, pressing the advantage Link quickly leaped up while drawing his sword up in a powerful slash across Tyr's exposed back knocking him forward a few steps as the familiar blue essence poured from the wound.
"How bout that move?" Link shot while he swiftly spun his sword in hand his focus razor sharp feeling the skill of the sword running through him. Something was resonating with Link as he readied for Tyr's next move while the man laughed happily turning back to face Link.
"Oh that move was new and I quite like it." Tyr said with a huge smile while moving his blade back to his front, the attitude was slowly edging away at Link but he couldn't tell why, the way he treated battle like a game. However his next move was so fast Link didn't expect it, he was within inches from Link in a split second before swinging his arm up with the blade. Luckily Link was able to push himself out of the way of the attack with the help of his boots that had created bursts of ice to aid his escape. Link panted slightly looking back to Tyr who was rapidly spinning his sword like a pinwheel where he had been a moment before. As Link began to move he winced and hear liquid drip and as he looked at the floor he saw crimson steaming on the ice, as his gaze followed the red he saw a gash across his shoulder.
"Ugh, dammit..." Link hissed before looking back up at Tyr who smiled and lunged towards the Hylian again with his blade pulled back ready to stab and as Link began to move it was too late, that moment he thought he saw a million blades. However, the wind saved him again placing him directly beside Tyr.
"And that was a Loki move." Tyr sighed wincing a bit as he tried to move but ti seemed the stabbing attack he had made left him unable to move for a moment. Given the pain in Link's sword arm, and the fact he didn't have a shield, his instinct took over while a faint golden aura spread over his body just as he pulled his arm back and slammed his fist into Tyr's face sending the man across the ice. Without missing a beat Link climbed to his feet and ran after him while his hand shifted his blade into a reverse grip again. Using his momentum and the ice magic running through his feet Link jumped up into the air meeting Tyr's gaze as he dropped down full force driving the frozen blade straight through the man's chest. A faint cough escaped Tyr's lips while the aura disappeared from around Link "That... Was a great move."
"Wait... What happened?" Link quietly asked shaking his head after the outburst he had, when his blue eyes finally met Tyr's red, they went wide as he slowly looked down to see the blade anchored in his chest. "Oh Hylia... I didn't mean t-"
"Silence! Don't show weakness to your enemy, this was a fine battle Link. Thank you for sending me off in this way, in return take this." Tyr cut Link off before lifting his arm and moving his sword over to Link. Slowly the Hylian took the blade and it flashed forcing Link to close his eyes but as he opened them again he saw a bow of pure ice glittering in his hand while only the snowflakes of what had been Tyr faded with the wind.
"...Thank you Tyr but that wasn't me... I know you're listening, whoever you are, whatever you are, I won't give you control." Link declared gripping the handle of the bow and his blade tightly before getting up and starting to make his way out of the room while the ice began to crack once more. However what he didn't see was the phantom of a wolf sitting where Tyr had faded and as Link passed through the door the wolf's lips pulled up in a smile before it faded on the wind.
Link had already anticipated the cavern falling apart and pushed off hard willing the boots to form the blades of ice again aiding his speed while he put away the blade and bow. However as soon as his foot touched the floor of the room where the statues were orange light bloomed within the 8 eyes of the dragon statue and it roared as it turned to look at Link it's large fangs easily half his arm's length. Rather than flinching away, this time Link grasped the handle of the hammer without losing any speed and dropped into a slide just as the statue tried to snap it's jaws around the hunter. As soon as he heard the crystalline chomp he crouched and swung the hammer up as hard as he could shattering the dragon in one fell swoop.
"I don't have time for this." Link breathed and kept moving as the orange glow faded from the dragon's eyes. This time Link made it back to the entryway with a few seconds to spare before the cavern collapsed once more. A deep breath escaped from the blonde's lungs that he hadn't realized he was holding in as cracks began to splinter out from the three collapsed caves and spreading across the whole of the chamber. Finally just before the floor collapsed a blue light shot through the cracks enveloping Link in a crystalline prism, he felt weightless within as the massive chunks or ice crashed down around him.
"Am I frozen?..." The Hylian wondered as he touched the walls that rippled softly, granted the light of the prism itself obscured what Link could see as the pod lowered itself, although he did notice the wound in his shoulder had been healed which he contributed to Tyr. Once it slowed to a stop the light began to fade leaving Link a short drop as he fell to a crouch. When he stood up again he could see that he was on a large platform sitting in the center of a lake surrounded by dark water while blue light lit the area shining through the glacier overhead. Fragments of ice littered the platforms from the room he had fallen from while far out in the water Link saw massive chunks of ice, probably from the three areas he had fought Tyr, Loki, and Thor in. Although as he was scanning the waters a faint ripple spread from the water but Link hadn't seen anything fall into the water. A slight shrug rolled across the Hylian's shoulders before he turned back around trying to find a way out but as he turned he saw something, someone, the figure of a woman sitting in the thin snow.
"Are you okay?..." Link quietly asked beginning to move toward her, from about forty feet Link could see that her legs were bare and pale while the blue hair that ran down her back wasn't old and decrepit. The Hylian slowed to a stop about twenty feet from the woman remembering what Tyr had told him.
"You're the one trapped here aren't you?..." The figure slowly raised it's head as Link spoke again and then her body followed lifting herself from the snow before turning around to face the hunter. Before him stood a beauty with flowing white hair, the curves of a Gerudo, and the eyes of a Hylian. Her body clad in little material, a sash along her waist that seemed to function as a skirt, and the remains of a bra that had been covered in bits of ice to hold up where needed, particularly looking like ice covered her left breast. Now that Link was face to face with her he saw that her skin was actually a very light blue in tone while her lips were dark blue like her hair and her eyes the same blue as the icy light from above.
"Well, well, the Soul of the Hero needs me again does he?" The woman spoke with a bite that went far past cold and held an edge of something dark. Her features narrowed slightly, spite evident on her face while she gave Link a look that could freeze his soul. "I won't help you, not when it's your fault I'm stuck here!"
Link winced feeling the hatred and cold from her voice piercing him despite the magic and the warm fur. Meanwhile more ripples were forming in the water reacting to the woman's distress. "Hold I don't know what you're talking about, I'm not a hero!"
"I'm not talking to 'you'! I'm talking to the Blonde haired, blue-eyed jerk that told me I could help save Hyrule! The man who told me that I'd be called on when I was needed! The reason that I wasted my life waiting to help the feckless people of this land..." The woman cried as she closed her fists and her body quaked, tears falling and turning into snowflakes before reaching the ground.
"I was told I'd be remembered as one of the Great Sages, a savior... But no one ever came, I was left here to rot, for millenia upon millenia, all of this ice came from me while I prayed and grew stronger under Hebrana's blessing..." The woman continued to cry venting out her frustrations while the air began to sting filling with wind and ice shards. By now Link could hear the ripples turn to waves against the edges of the platform drawing his attention to the water again.
"Please wait, I don't know who you think I am but I've never been here or met you before I swear!" Link called out over the wind however that answered only madde the woman's cold gaze snap to him and with a wave of her wand multiple spikes of ice flew at Link in an instant stopping an inch from his skin.
"I know you Link, you don't remember me, but you met me eons ago. I don't care if you don't think you're 'A' hero, you are The Hero." The woman coldly snapped before she whipped her hand across his face in a slap that would've given him frostbite if it wasn't for the Glacier Boots resisting some of the cold. However with that act the icicles fell from the air just as Link did from the slap as the woman turned away from him. "My name is Zera... I know you forgot that too."
"I'm sorry or what he... What I did to you Zera... I don't know the reasons for what happened then, but there was no reason to leave you here." Link spoke while holding his face. Despite what, quite literally, everyone was telling him he couldn't come to grips that he was The Hero of Hyrule, but right now that didn't matter, what mattered was that this woman was on the verge of a break down and he was pretty positive she would kill him if he didn't try something. Zera began to rub her arm glancing back at Link, the look she cast was deeper, not filled with hate though, something else before she closed her eyes and walked away towards the water.
"You know, I would've followed you anywhere once, even fought for you. Now I wonder if they'll remember the name of the Sage that killed The Hero." While at first Zera's voice sounded soft, even almost sweet, that bitter edge returned as she shot a glare at Link. Now the water erupted as something emerged from beneath the waves and the closer Link looked, he saw scales. From the water emerged a long dragon covered of nearly-black, blue scales, its claws wickedly curved like the farming sickles he used back home while its fangs could easily crush the blades Ganondorf used, it's crown formed in a ridge of spikes. The beast's navy blue eyes were trained on Link as it growled low and Zera stroked along its neck before hoping up onto its back rubbing its horns slowly. "I bet you don't remember him either, you met him once as Lord Jabu-Jabu the protector of the Zora, however when he passed his spirit returned here and he stayed by my side all this time. I've decided to call him Javulas. Though I suppose you don't need to know all this, it won't matter in your next life."
"Zera, I don't think you want to do this, I know there's a lot of pain there but we can work through it." Link tried to reason with the maiden while she smiled and kissed one of the dragon's horns before it used it's powerful claws to pull itself out of the water and into the air beginning to fly around the platform. "Or not... I'm so fucked..."
"Too little too late Hero." Zera cooed while the dragon roared and dived towards the center of the platform leaving Link with only one option, move. As the dragon got close Link bolted and moved underneath it as it whipped its long powerful body sending a powerful wave across the platform blasting the snow and debris from its surface. Link was barely able to whether the shock wave as he hid beneath it's body and quickly drew his blade lunging up from beneath the dragon, however the blade did little more than cling harmlessly off the dragon's scales. Cursing under his breath Link quickly rolled out from under the dragon thinking of what do as the beast dropped its heavy body onto the platform in an attempt to smash Link.
"Are you just gonna keep running? You don't have the Master Sword, you don't have a shield, you don't even have a proper sword Hero, submit to the cold." Zera goaded Link as the dragon turned towards him and began to draw in a deep breath, if there was anything he learned at Highpeak it was how to spot a breath attack. Link swiftly rushed straight toward the dragon before turning on his side and stomping the frozen surface willing his magic to heed his command and it did, the ice shot up out of the ground as a wall big enough for him to take cover just before the dragon roared and fired a beam of pure cold energy causing the very air to freeze before hitting the wall, however due to the ice's surface the beam reflected back at the dragon freezing over one of its arms. As the beast reeled in pain Link's eyes narrowed and he moved out of cover using the skates again to allow him to shot across the ice as he reached back to grab the hammer and move his arm back nearing his target. Once he had reached the frozen limb Link leaped from the ground and brought down the hammer as hard as possible shattering the arm of the dragon.
"NO! Javulas?!" Zera called as she held onto the dragon while it thrashed in pain from the loss of its own arm. However the dragon thrashing left it with one choice to slam into the platform breaking off scales and revealing a gray skin underneath, but that wasn't all, beneath its scales and on its throat ink could see silver peaking out and he momentarily questioned continuing but he truly didn't have a choice. His grip tightened on the hammer as he moved again closing in on the beast's head before jumping up and bringing he weapon down in a fierce strike making the dragon stagger and fall towards the edge of the platform sending Zera flying across the ice. "No..."
Link looked back to the frozen woman sighing quietly, he never wanted to be a butcher but now he was smashing a dragon for protecting a woman that suffered because of one of his past lives. However the sharp sound of inhaling alerted Link and without thinking he grabbed a bomb from his bag and lobbed straight into the dragon's mouth silencing its inhale before the blast erupted firing a column of blue flame from its mouth while its skin visibly glowed from heat and it fell back starting to sink into the water.
"NO!" Zera's voice screeched like a blizzard and she appeared in the air beside Javulas, the force of the winds grew stronger and slowly she lifted the dragon from the platform. Link could only watch from the ground already knowing that his bow wouldn't do anything to either, probably, maybe? In a swift act of judgment Link pulled his bow from his shoulder and quickly knocked it as the winds surged forming a while wall between Zera and Link. Rather than trying to fire through the wind wall Link waited for the storm wall to dissipate. At the first sign of color Link loosed his arrow and as the wind revealed the figure behind it Link gulped seeing her holding the arrow before squeezing and snapping the arrow.
"This is gonna suck..." Link sighed while shaking his head, before him in the air floated Zera but clad in black scale armor spanning from her thighs to her feet clad in talons, a skirt of long scales, more to match her bra, from her elbows to her hands,, a helm of some sort making her white hair look like spikes but lastly a large silver spike protruding from her chest between her breasts.
"You're going to die for what you did." Zera hissed as she lowered herself to the ground in a beastly stance. Link couldn't much more now than just brace himself and wait for an opening, either way he needed that shard now. A deep growl rumbled through the girl before she shot towards Link like a bullet giving him narrow moment to dodge out of the way but his boots were no longer resonating. Looking back at Zera he could see why, she had drained the ice energy from them making them little more than stylish bootstraps.
"Shit, what else do I have..." Link grumbled trying to think, he had the bow and the hammer, surely the hammer would have enough strength to at least stagger her. Link came to a stop and faced down Zera while trying to stay calm with her seething eyes trained on the hunter. As she made her move and dashed straight for him the golden aura surrounded Link once more while the Triforce bloomed. Though Zera was already too close, in a flash Link grabbed and swung the hammer hard into the side of her head sending her skidding across the ice and dark blue blood to splatter along the ice along with a shower of scales. Zera was sure as hell still reeling from the blow as she slowly came to her feet, blood dripping from her head as the scales were now removed.
"No more games..." Zera hissed hoarsely before her eyes flashed again and the hammer shattered, given that she was the Sage of Ice he should have expected something like this. Now as she began to stalk towards him he reached back and grabbed his bow swiftly knocking and firing an arrow straight for her heart but it merely pinged off the black scales that protected her body. Two, three, four more arrows, all having the same result as they littered the icy platform leaving Zera with a wicked grin.
"No other choice... I hope this works." With a deep breath Link pulled back another arrow and channeled his magic through it like Bolin had taught him then he ignited it and let it fly, decimating the bow in its wake. However the flaming arrow flew true and pierced straight through Zera's chest leaving her to cough as she stopped and reached up to touch the gaping hole in her chest. However, as she fell to her knees the bow and scales shattered to dust from her power being snuffed out.
"Zera..." Link quietly spoke as he moved over to her kneeling beside her while she stared at her hands, covered in blue blood and tears. As her red pained eyes looked up at him he didn't know what else to do and pulled her close against him. Her eyes widened briefly before closing as she slowly relaxed, the shard slipping out from her being to lay beside them. Something deep within Link twisted in pain and he hated that, that part of him that did things like this to someone so innocent. As her breathing began to slow her fingers reached up to touch Link's face drawing his attention while she smiled soft.
"Please don't be mad at Jabu, he was trying to protect me, all these years, my resentment turned us into... What you vanquished." Zera spoke low and soft, her voice harsh from the wounds she had taken but still she clung to Link as tightly as she could. A small laugh came from her as she bit her lip and looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a sad smile on her face. "So it took you ages to give me a hug Hero? Heh please... Don't forget me..."
That was when her voice stopped and her body began to dissolve into snow freeing her once trapped spirit. A soft clatter drew Link's wet eyes to the side where Zera had dropped something, a pale blue medallion with long spikes arranged in a spiral shape similar to a snowflake. The crest of the Ice Sage sat within Link's palm as its bearer finally found peace but his body felt numb, heavy, completely exhausted. Without even being able to get up Link fell to the floor clutching the medallion in his hand as a soft blue light began to envelop him as it had times before.
-X-
Zera, the Sage of Ice. The forgotten eighth sage.
A woman who was completely dedicated to her goal of helping protect Hyrule from destruction, left forgotten to time and Hyrule alike...
A woman whose own ice pierced so deeply it froze over her heart...
A woman whose tears burned the Hero worse than Death Mountain...